Samuel Adams LongShot Cranberry Wit

Created by Samuel Adams Employee Carissa Sweigart. Brewed with ingredients signature to Carissa’s home of Massachusetts this Cranberry Wit is spiced with a blend of cinnamon, orange peel, coriander and grains of paradise, and finished with a touch of cranberry. This bright, fruity and refreshing brew is reminiscent of an autumn day in New England.

319 reviews

Boston, United States

Community reviews

3.3 Not a bad fruit beer...compared to some that are on the market. Aroma is fruity with hints of spice and malt. Flavor has touches of cinnamon and coriander, with a hint of cranberry and malt.

2.6 From bottle. Light bitter aroma, with a slight note of fruit (citrusy, sort of) and some mild hops. Cloudy butterscotch amber, with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts with nice bit of fruity tartness, a bit like cranberry but citrusy, followed by some chalky wheat and light yeast. Some fairly bold spices toward the finish, with mild sweet fruity finish and chalky mild bitterness on the tongue. Fairly clean wheat-fruit after.

3.3 Bottle - Pours a cloudy honey color. Large white head. Nice lacing. Noticable citrus aroma. Much fulled bodied then most wheat beers. Sweet flavor of orange and berries. Its hard to rate a berry beer very highly, but I really did enjoy this one. Its a notch above your typical wheat. Would drink again if the opportunity arises.

3.6 I’ve never been a fan of fruity wheat beers because they seem so token to me. Just about every mid-level [craft] brewery and their brother brews some kind of “(insert fruit here) Wheat” and most often than not they’re just fruit-flavored light lagers. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that Samuel Adams would include a beer among its 2008 “Long Shot” winners that’s a much bolder take on this rather pedestrian style. Boston Beer Co. employee Carissa Sweigart’s “Cranberry Wit” is that beer. It’s got all the makings of a mainstream fruity wheat brew, but the difference is the heavier, more robust body and palate that’s complex, spicy, sweet, tart and smooth all at once. APPEARANCE AND AROMA It’s usually a bad sign when a beer’s color is anything approaching the red/pink spectrum. While I wouldn’t say this beer is quite on that side of the color wheel, it is indeed peachy and hazy – like a dirty shade of amber. There is no sediment, but it is not transparent by any means. It forms a thick layer of firm, white foam which is slow to dissipate and leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma is characteristic of a generic fruity wheat beer with a slightly tart scent. Cranberries are noticeable but so are spices. TASTE The best way to describe Long Shot Cranberry Wit is to take all my reviews of other fruity wheat beers and invert them. This is a beer that actually has really character and flavor to it. It’s not just fruit-flavored watery wheat beer, there’s actually genuine flavor. Cranberry, as its name indicates, is the first and last ingredient I taste. It’s only slightly tart and very well-balanced through the addition of a spicy, complex palate. The label indicates the usage of cinnamon, coriander, orange peel and grains of paradise – all of which are detectable. The beer has a slight kick of spice on both the front and back end, but they do not overwhelm. To me, this is would make a great Christmas beer, so it’s a nice change of pace drinking a beer of this style in the summer. I wouldn’t call it refreshing, but the taste does satisfy. It’s original enough to appreciate, but also mild enough to remain drinker-friendly. FINISH With a thick, soft mouthfeel and a smooth finish, Long Shot Cranberry Wit is a very easy beer to drink. This really shouldn’t be surprising since fruity wheat beers are known for their drinkability, but considering just how complex and spicy the palate it that makes it an even more appreciable accomplishment. BODY I could tell only halfway through my first bottle that this was no ordinary summer slugging beer. Cranberry Wit has body through and through and at 5% ABV the statistics certainly back up that claim. I was able to drink two bottles back to back without feeling remotely overwhelmed. Nor was my palate saturated with spices, either. FINAL THOUGHTS I’ll be honest, I assumed Long Shot Cranberry Wit was going to be just another “girly” fruity wheat beer, so I was pleasantly surprised to realize just how unique this beer really is. This is a great compromise beer that will appeal to and satisfy lightweights and connoisseurs equally. NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwpc4FymDjk

3.3 Bottle. Light golden orange in color, fluffy white head. The aroma is tart cranberry, wheat, and spice. Flavor is a little bit sweeter and maltier than expected. Lots of grains, sweet fruit, a touch of coriander. Smooth, easy drinking, very refreshing.

3.2 bottle - Pours hazy yellow-orange with a one finger, very long lasting white head. It smells of wheat and berries. The flavor is sweet and fruity with good berry and wheat taste. It has a creamy mouth feel and while it’s all about the sweetness, it’s not overpowering. Pretty good.

2.2 Very hazy golden coloured body with a mild orange tint and a very thin slightly off-white head. Aroma of wheat, coriander seed, cranberries, yeast, tart cherries and a touch of grassy funk. Medium-bodied; Mild wheatie flavour with a touch of cranberries or raspberries, some mild citrus and a lot of overpowering, slightly stale wheat and malt. Aftertaste is a bad bitterness, some soapy touches, a light offensive mustiness and a touch sour citrus. Overall, not good at all in the taste - definitely worse than a non-offensive beer, this one shows bad. Too bad - I was expecting this to be much better. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle pulled from the sampler six pack, purchased from Total Wine in Chantilly, Virginia on 11-July-2009, sampled at home in Washington on 18-January-2010.

2.9 Pours a hazy murky dull peach with a thin white head. Aroma is cranberry and perfume, cherry pit, dull crackers and light wheat malts, mineral and slate, and light spice. Light airy flavor- some mineral and pitty fruitiness, cranberry tartness and astringency with lots of skin, dusty malts, cracker, light bready wheat, toast, and a phenolic spritzy finish. Boring light and messy.

3.3 Bottle thanks to decaturstevo. Darkish yellow-orange, puffy white foam. Coriander, wit spicing aroma, light tart cranberry sweetness. Taste is much sweeter, cranberries, spices, orange, coriander.

2.4 Aroma of mostly coriander, orange and some light cranberry, none in abundance. Appearance was translucent gold with foamy head. Flavors are pretty much on the nose, with most of the cranberry in the finish. Palate was creamy. Refreshing, but nothing too noteworthy here. A pleasant beer with just enough flavor to be appealing.

2.8 Pours hazy light amber with a small off white head. Aroma is faint but has hints of cranberry and not much else. Flavor is light with hints of cranberry and spice. Pretty bland.

3.1 Pours cloudy orange with light red hihlights. Aroma of cranberrys, orange, grains. Tastis sMe with a tart bite

2.9 Aroma is wheat, spice, cranberry, a little tart. The appearance is yellow, somewhat hazy, tinge of pink, and an off-white head. The flavor is cereal grains, light tart quality, cranberries. The finish is coriander, and other spices. The mouthfeel is thin/medium. Not bad - not as bad as I expected. Easily my least favorite of he Long Shots. Appropriate on a hot summer day.

2.8 Bottle ( 12oz ). Hazy gold, huge fizzy-fluffy white head. Sour, slightly vegetal aroma - dry - yeah, cranberry. Tastes sweet and papery, sure wish it were even 1/3 as tart as the aroma - the cranberry is there, and a bit of alcohol, but it’s not great. Thick, almost choking body, not much carbonation - not an unpleasant aftertaste, but this one overall seems a little .. off, somehow.

2.8 Bottle. 12 oz. Pours clear orange gold with a medium, frothy white head. Aroma of hops, raspberries, cranberries, wheat, and hints of yeast. Light body with a sort of bland mouthfeel. Some traces of tart with the cranberry. Finishes quick and clean. Above average fruit beer.

2.6 Pours a cloudy light orange with a soapy head. Nose is unimpressive and faint. Some floral citrus. Only a tad of cranberry flavor, mostly orange peel bitterness. Overall only so-so at best.

3.5 Made in sept (09) Pours a golden color with a small white crisp head. Flavors of cranberry, and reminders of other citrus zest. A full palate of yeast flavors with notes of hops. Released at the perfect time of year to enjoy

3.2 Pours a very hazy yellow color with a medium loose head that leaves a bit of lace. The aroma is light spicy yeast notes with some human flesh, not sweaty, not B.O. just the sort of plain smell of a person. There is some light cinnamon and indescribable spice in there as well. The flavor is really more cinnamon than it is cranberry, this is not to say that the cranberry doesn’t sneak in there well, it’s just a less dominant flavor than perhaps the beer’s name would lead you to believe. I also detect some orange and ginger. I really like strongly spiced beers, but this one seems like there are too many spices/fruit flavors going in medium to low flavor profile that it seems mildly messy. A little more focus on cranberry and balance of spices would have made this brilliant to my tastes. Mild tweaking could make this one awesome beer.

2.8 [Bottle] Pours a light amber color with a small beige head. Aroma was of berries, wheat malt and light citrus. The taste was similar, with the cranberry in decent balance. Coriander and light nutmeg or clove finish it out. I expected the flavoring to be a little more intense given the aroma, so in that sense it was a slight let down. I didn’t see any big flaws here though.

3.0 2008 bottle sold in a box set. thanks Toby. Pours out a golden with some orange highs topped with a off white head. Aroma was of light spice and a little berry. Taste was more of the spice, some light berry, and a little hop on the end.

3.6 Appropriately cloudy with an orange-yellow hue. Decent white head that leaves ring lace on the glass after each sip. Good wheat aroma; I detect some sweetness and sourness, but I wouldn’t associate it with cranberries. Not as wheaty as most Wits. The Cranberry is mellow, but is now identifiable. Good malt presence and I note a touch of hop in the swallow. Short lasting aftertaste. Good body for the style. Overall, this is a wonderfully drinkable beer. For wheat lovers, this might be something of a disappointment. For me, I like the complexity.

3.0 Bottle. Pours a hazy golden/orange with a small white head. Faint aroma of cranberry, coriander and some light fruit. Flavor was crisp with mild sweetness wheat/grain, coriander and had a touch of cranberry.

3.5 Poured from bottle into Summit pint glass. Cloudy dark orange with a very slight pink tint that was more visible while pouring than when in the glass. Nice foamy head. Mostly wheaty smell, with some cranberry, orange and peppery spices. Not as strong of a smell as I expect from a Wit. Predominant wheat taste with notable sweet cranberry and orange. I detect a touch of cinnamon, but may not have identified that without the label to guide me. Slight peppery spice, but less than I expect for the style, as it would have been a nice counterbalance. Medium body and carbonation. Relatively smooth. Nice drinking Wit, but missing some of the characteristics I typically enjoy. Not as cloying as the Cranberry Lambic (which really isn’t that bad), and would be a nice substitution in the Winter Pack.

3.3 Pours a cloudy apple cider with a frothy off white head. Aromas of cinnamon, orange peel, coriander, some wheat, and cranberry, just as the label says(nice). The flavor is much like the aromas, a mix of the cinnamon, coriander, orange peel, wheat, and a touch of cranberry. Semi sweet, bitter, after taste slightly cloying and offsetting. Overall I thought this was a really tasty brew even though there were things that weren’t the most pleasant about it, it made up for in complexities of flavor.

3.4 Pours a cloudy dark orange straw with a large white pillowy head that leaves behind a sticky web of lace. The nose is a pleasant blend of a witbier and Thanksgiving: cranberry and spices (cinnamon, coriander, and what seems like the Grains of Paradise they use in their Summer Wheat). Light-bodied, soft and wheaty with a lingering spicy finish. The flavor follows the nose with an emphasis on the Grains of Paradise and cinnamon. This is not a bad beer. It’s a bit more spice-forward for my tastes, but it’s solid nevertheless.

3.2 2008 Bottle - Thanks Toby! - Pours golden with a medium off white head...aroma is citrus peel, light spice, not much fruit, dough...flavour is similar, yeast, coriander & spice, some zest and the faintest bit of cranberry...not sure if was intended or faded over time, but still plenty drinkable...

3.2 Hazy copper blonde pour into thick foamy white head that slowly dissipates into sticky lacing as carbonated bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass leaving a thin pool of foam. Aroma of malty orange citrus. Initial flavor of lightly toasted wheat bread that fades into a very mild, slightly cranberry tart that maintains a lingering wheat finish.

3.4 In the bottle at the 2009 Crescent Moon Summer Beer Festival. Pours reddish gold with so much cloudiness that it is somewhat white. Thick white head. Cranberry aroma is mild. Flavor has mild cranberry tartness. Delicious.

3.6 Spinning some easy cranberry notes, the wit doesn’t shy away from being a crisp, pourable beer. The color is tinted a sunrise yellow, with a fresh, mild smell. The aftertaste is enjoyable, slacking the tongue with crisp definition. Some cranberry pops up in the beer’s flavor, but hardly enough to lacquer it onto the title of the beer.